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Like harvest and hunting season, “Felt Hat Season” arrives with the chill of fall. It's the time of year when you swap out your straw hat for the warmth and weight of a good beaver-fur felt.
Why? Well, like many western traditions, it’s rooted in good sense. It's become a practical fashion custom ingrained in the cowboy/ag-culture for the simple reason that a good felt keeps your head warm and dry during the cold, rainy/snowy months (so – for Montanans – felts are really more of a perennial hat).
As noted in my last newsletter, cowboy hats are more than just an accessory! The felt cowboy hat has a history dating back to 1865, when John B. Stetson created the first “Boss of the Plains” hat. Built with a taller crown and wider brim to meet the harsh environment of the American frontier, it became a staple in Western attire and a symbol of the hardworking, resilient spirit of the cowboy. Today’s hats still carry on that legacy.
A high quality felt hat will be soft and silky and have just a bit of weight to it - it won't be hard and dry. Achieving quality depends on the type of material used. Though they can be made with wool and various fur, beaver fur felt is prized for its softness and resistance to rain and snow. Felts are made by densely matting fur fibers together using steam and friction and then shaped (blocked) into the desired style. Traditionally, hatters give the finished product an “X’ rating (found on the inside headband) to indicate quality – the number of Xs represents the percentage of premium fibers in the hat - a 10X hat would be 100% beaver fur.
Over the years the cowboy hat's design has evolved to suit personal tastes and practical needs, with many creases and crown styles reflecting different regions and functions.
From the classic Cattleman Crease, with its clean, narrow shape, reflecting the no-nonsense style of ranchers and rodeo professionals to the Open Crown style that seems to be favored by the the more free-spirited rough-stock cowboys who like to invent a custom shape all their own, each hat style tells a bit about its owner.
Cowboy hats are traditionally very personal to the owner. While some felts are kept cooped up in a hatbox on the shelf reserved for dressy occasions, a lucky felt finds its home on the hat rack where it's always handy and ready for work. It's well-used and full of character, carrying the dust of its days, the stories of its travels and of friends collected along the way. These are sometimes memorialized with special hatbands, feathers, pins, stickers, and other notions, each carrying a story of its own, making the hat an overall expression of the owner's personality!
If you find yourself inspired to invest in your first felt, replace an old favorite, or expand your collection, you might start with, Double H Hat Company in Darby. Renowned hatter Jimmy “The Hat Man” Harrison is celebrated for crafting custom hats of exceptional quality, beauty, and style—each one uniquely tailored to suit its owner.
To top it off, I recommend a hat band from Miakoda Leather in Whitefish. Miakoda is my favorite Montana-made source for custom, heirloom quality gifts (especially noteworthy with Christmas coming up soon). From leather, fur, and glass beads to aspen leaves, Miakoda masterfully crafts natural materials into works of functional art that reflect the beauty of Montana. Take a look at her lavender, Indian paintbrush, and wheat hatbands shown below. She also creates jewelry, mittens, bags, and stunning leatherworks of all kinds!
And for some holiday fun with friends, visit The Hat Edit. My daughter and I enjoyed a great time together selecting and customizing our own felt fashion-hats at this DIY hat bar in Stevensville.
If you do get a new hat, I want to see it - post it on facebook or instagram and tag me!
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